5 Essential Frankenstein Films

This week sees the release of Victor Frankenstein, the most recent cinematic retelling of the Frankenstein story. While this film has had… mixed reviews, there have been some excellent films both based on Mary Shelley’s original story, or using those characters to tell new stories. So without any further ado, here are some of our favourite films either based on, or featuring Frankenstein or Frankenstein’s monster.

Frankenstein (1931)

The original, and still considered the best by many, this is the film that really started the characters on the road to being in one film every few years. It was also one of the biggest horror films of the era, which tended to focus on classic monster stories.

Bride of Frankenstein

The Oscar nominated sequel to the first entry on this list, Bride of Frankenstein is one of the rare horror sequels that might be better than the first. When you think about Frankenstein’s monster, this franchise is what you picture.

Young Frankenstein

One of Mel Brooks’ funniest films, Young Frankenstein came out at a time when spoofs were of a higher quality than they are today (sorry Scary Movie franchise). Instantly quotable and delightfully silly, this is a comedy classic that deserves a place on this list.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Another fairly straight retelling of the story, this film has an incredible cast, including Robert De Niro as The Creature, and Kenneth Branagh (who also directed) as Victor Frankenstein.

Van Helsing

A lot of people don’t like this film as much as I do, but I think it’s a lot of fun. Featuring almost all of the classic movie monsters, Van Helsing is an inventive and alternative look at the classic story.

Are there any essential Frankenstein films that I missed? What’s your favourite movie featuring the classic characters? Share any thoughts in the comments.

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'Why would I not watch this?' The words Todd James said shortly before watching Pudsey the Dog: The Movie. Todd is a lover of all films, except bad ones, and spends more time in a dark room watching them than somebody so pale should.